How to Date (3)
The moment I mentioned that I'd paid for the clothes, Ma Nayeon's brow arched and her expression crumpled.
As if she'd read my mind exactly, a faint wariness rippled back at me from across the counter.
"What? Why did you pay for it?"
"They all seemed to suit you, Senior. I figured this was a good chance for you to start wearing nicer things."
"That's not what I asked. Why did you pay? Did I ever ask you to buy me clothes?"
"It's not like I'm buying them for free anyway. You asked me to help you win over Senior Yujin, so think of it as part of the deal. Why are you making such a fuss about it?"
"...I wasn't making a fuss. When did I ever—"
Perhaps she realized her voice had jumped an octave, because Ma Nayeon took a small step back and averted her gaze.
I'd anticipated this kind of guarded reaction when I sprung my generosity on her out of nowhere. Ma Nayeon wasn't the type to accept things at face value to begin with.
By now, a small seed of suspicion was probably sprouting in her mind — is he actually interested in me, not in Im Yujin?
It was a slightly inconvenient suspicion to carry around while openly going on a date, but I still needed to plant, little by little, the possibility that I might harbor romantic feelings for her.
Only by laying this groundwork now could I leave open the chance for Ma Nayeon to think of me instead of Han Jaewook later on.
If I claimed to be scheming to win her Han Jaewook purely from a zero base — with no feelings for her whatsoever — then Ma Nayeon would genuinely think of nothing but winning over Han Jaewook.
Keeping the door open to pivot toward me at any moment was far more convenient for my purposes. Even if it cost me a bit of her suspicion in the early going.
"Give me your account number. I'll transfer the money."
"It's fine. It wasn't that expensive. Just keep it."
"If it wasn't that expensive, send me your account. I pay for my own clothes. I'm not planning to owe you anything."
"Then I'll pay you back later. I don't remember my account number right now."
"Then how about I just send it through Cocoatalk? How much was it?"
"A little under 100,000 won."
"......"
However indifferent she was to fashion, Ma Nayeon knew perfectly well that six articles of clothing for under 100,000 won was an impossible number.
Wearing an expression that said this guy is shameless, she pressed her lips shut at my brazen refusal to settle the bill properly.
"Give me the receipt."
"Senior Nayeon, can't you just accept it? If you keep this up, it'll only make things harder on you later."
"...And how exactly would it make things harder on me?"
"Most guys don't like women who refuse their gifts. It's a present, so when it gets turned down, it stings their pride."
"...Wait. Don't tell me you—"
"I'm not saying I feel that way about you, Senior. Just imagine the same situation later with Senior Han Jaewook. Would you grit your teeth and refuse then, too?"
"...No."
"Really? You're confident you'd take it right away without refusing out of politeness? Because from where I'm standing, that seems very unlikely."
"......"
She probably knew it herself. Even if Han Jaewook had done exactly what I'd just done, Ma Nayeon's reaction wouldn't have been all that different.
Maybe her tone of protest would have softened slightly, but in the end she'd have had almost no intention of accepting something for free. That was simply who she was.
"You seem to be getting the wrong idea, Senior, so let me be clear. When a man buys something for a woman he likes, the woman he falls for isn't the one who refuses out of embarrassment — it's the one who thanks him with genuine joy."
"...Then I'll just do that in front of Jaewook. That's all I need."
"That's why we practice now. So that the guilty little pang you get from things like this never forms in the first place. I promised I'd make things work between you and Senior Han Jaewook, remember?"
"......"
"At least when it comes to men, I know more than you do. So for now, let's start with practicing how to accept. Okay?"
"...Fine."
Unable to outlast my persistence, Ma Nayeon finally nodded and carefully took the paper bag I held out to her.
Even after all this, we still hadn't made any real progress — but then, we still had the rest of the day ahead of us.
"Oh, Senior. Now that I think of it — do you have any hobbies you could share with a guy?"
"...Reading? Painting, maybe?"
"Not those quiet ones. Don't you do anything like sports or games? Billiards, maybe?"
"...Not really. Do I have to learn those too?"
"Learning a thing or two wouldn't hurt. You can't just watch movies and hit cafes every single time you go on a date with Senior Han Jaewook."
"What about visiting exhibitions—"
"...Yeah, I definitely need to teach you a hobby that men actually do together first. You still have time today, right?"
"Where are we going now?"
"If you're up for it, I'll teach you bowling. Practically every guy loves it, so it can't hurt to know how."
"...Fine, then."
Having announced our destination in advance, Ma Nayeon followed behind me with an expression that seemed, if only slightly, to have shed some of its suspicion.
Originally, I'd planned to talk only about Im Yujin and part ways there.
Somehow, though, it had turned into this.
Thud! Rumble-rumble-rumble...
Bowling. I've never played it once in my life.
But he said it's a hobby men like, so it can't hurt to learn.
"Have you ever bowled before, Senior?"
"...Never."
"Then I'll teach you from the very beginning. First, let's get you some shoes..."
Even just changing out of my shoes and standing at the lane felt foreign and awkward.
True to his word that I should sit quietly and wait, I hovered at the edge of things, and before long Lee Seonho reappeared carrying a bowling ball in each hand.
"I brought you a nine-pounder to start. Try holding it — we need to check whether it's too heavy or too light first."
"Okay."
Three holes, so I suppose I just fit my fingers in and it'll be right.
It wasn't nearly as heavy as it looked, though it wasn't exactly light either.
"Want to try throwing it once, just to see? Consider it practice."
"Okay."
I've never actually done it, but I know how it's supposed to work.
It's a game where you roll the ball to knock down the pins. I just need to get it down the middle.
With that thought, I cautiously rolled the ball in my right hand toward the center of the lane.
Rumble-rumble-rumble... Thunk!
"......"
The ball trundled halfway down the lane and then promptly veered off into the right corner.
As I stared at the big zero etched onto the scoreboard and a question mark formed in my head, Lee Seonho sidled up beside me.
"What did I do wrong?"
"That happens to everyone at first. Shall we fix your form a little?"
"Fine. How."
"First, bend your elbow a bit more, and don't let your shoulders twist. Then bend your knees slightly and—"
Honestly, I'm still a little suspicious.
Whenever he suddenly showers me with attention like this, it feels like Im Yujin was just an excuse and he's really trying something with me.
But seeing how he talked with Im Yujin the other day, he does seem interested in her too... I still can't tell.
"There. Try rolling it like that, Senior."
"...Like this?"
"Yes. Don't tense up your wrist — just feel like you're setting the ball down naturally."
Well, I do have to learn bowling somehow.
I obediently rolled the ball the way Lee Seonho instructed, and it traveled straight down the lane... was what I'd have liked to say.
It curved a little less than before, but it still drifted to the right all the same.
Tap, rumble-rumble.
"......"
It didn't fly straight into the gutter like my first throw, at least — I knocked down about three pins.
As I stared blankly at the 3 written on the lane display, I felt a second ball pressed into my hand.
"A few more throws, Senior. Take the ball."
"...Aren't you going to play?"
"I came here to teach you today, remember? Anyway, just use the same form as before, and this time don't snap your wrist at the end."
"......"
Still suspicious, but for now, doing as he says is the right call.
Second throw. This time the ball grazed the center dead-on and toppled all seven pins.
"...Oh."
"Nice one, Senior."
"...Mm."
...This might actually be kind of fun.
"Looks like you're getting the hang of it."
"No, not yet."
Still, I think I need to play a bit more to be sure.
I can't let Jaewook see me fumbling embarrassingly when we come here together later.
By the time Lee Seonho and Ma Nayeon stepped out of the bowling alley, the sky had grown considerably dark.
Lee Seonho walked out wearing a smile of quiet satisfaction.
And Ma Nayeon, standing at his side, was as expressionless as ever — though a trace of awkward amusement and a fine sheen of sweat lingered on her face.
"...You got lucky."
"Luck is part of skill too."
"...You didn't let me win at the end, did you?"
"If I were going to let you win, I'd have started throwing strikes from the first frame. You simply played well and came back. That's all."
In truth, Lee Seonho had been calibrating his scores the entire game to let Ma Nayeon eke out a razor-thin victory.
It was a method only possible for him, since he could adjust his own technical skill at will through self-Suggestion.
"Shall I walk you home?"
"No need. I'll just take the bus."
"Understood. By the way — when Senior Han Jaewook offers to walk you home someday, just say 'sure' and give a small nod. That's all it takes."
"...Mm."
Bringing up Han Jaewook right to the very end — so the thought that he was interested in me really had just been my imagination, after all.
With that thought, Ma Nayeon gave a quiet nod, letting a little of the suspicion born of Lee Seonho's out-of-nowhere kindness slip away.
"I'll wear the clothes well. Just like I tried on earlier, right?"
"Usually, yes. If you ever have a date planned with Senior Han Jaewook, send me a photo of the outfit you're thinking of wearing out. I'll put together a look for you."
"Okay."
It feels like I'm leaning on him a bit too much, but Lee Seonho clearly has his own reasons for wanting to win my favor anyway.
They're keeping each other's secrets, after all — there's no real need to be suspicious of anything more, she thought, boarding the bus back toward the dormitory.
"You said you're not heading to the dorm?"
"No, I have a place nearby I rent."
"I see. Get in safe."
"You too, Senior. Get home carefully."
After exchanging their farewells, Ma Nayeon leaned lazily against the bus window for the ride back to Cheonmu Academy.
Shopping at the clothing store. The clatter of falling pins at the bowling alley, and Lee Seonho's face laughing and chatting beside them.
It was supposed to be nothing more than date practice for the future... yet she couldn't deny that, somehow, it had been fun.
'...Maybe I'll ask him to do it again sometime.'
Jaewook might not even like bowling all that much. Since I've already started, getting to know a bit more about men's hobbies couldn't hurt.
With that thought, Ma Nayeon gazed blankly out the window, Lee Seonho's face drifting through her mind.